The present invention relates to an air inlet valve for an underwater diver's dry suit.
There are basically two types of suits for underwater diving. These are wet suits and dry suits. Wet suits permit a layer of water to form on the diver's skin inside the suit. Dry suits are used in colder surroundings and must avoid the entrance of water into the interior of the suit. Air is provided on the interior of the suit to form an insulating effect. Dry suits are used when diving in cold water.
The air inlet valve on the standard dry suit is always mounted on the outside of the suit. These valves are mechanical valves with a pushbutton in the center to actuate the valve. Air is supplied at a pressure of about one-hundred pounds per square inch above ambient. The diver must press a button against the suit in order to bring air into the suit. This is often difficult to do because the buoyancy compensators and the harness work on the outside of the suit make it difficult to locate and operate the valve mechanism.
The conventional exhaust valves vent air out either by manual operation or automatically if there is excessive air pressure in the suit. If the air inlet valve should malfunction and freeze in the open position, air continuously enters the interior of the suit. None of the exhaust valves currently available on the market will vent air out of the suit as fast as air is introduced into the suit. When over-pressure occurs inside the suit, the exhaust valve is lifted off the seat letting air escape into the surrounding water. However, it cannot exhaust the air rapidly enough to solve the problem.